The present disclosure relates to a vehicle seat, and particularly to a vehicle seat having a seat back and a seat cushion connected to the seat back, the seat back and the seat cushion being retractable to a retraction floor formed in a position lower than a vehicle body floor.
Conventionally, vehicle seats have been known in which a seat body having a seat cushion and a seat back can be retracted in a retraction floor formed in a position lower than a vehicle body floor. Among those vehicle seats, there is a vehicle rear seat which is configured so that a seat body is tilted forward to be retracted in a retraction floor arranged at a front side of the seat, for example, see Japanese Patent Document No. 2009-067309A (referred to herein as “the '309 Document”).
A vehicle seat described in the '309 Document has a retraction structure including: an attachment shaft, which is attached to a vehicle body floor to support a seat back so that the seat back can pivot, and a leg member, which has an upper end supporting a front portion of a seat cushion and a lower end pivotally retained by a retaining groove fixed on a retraction floor. At the time of a retracting operation of a seat body, the seat back pivots relative to the vehicle body floor to move the seat cushion to the retraction floor and the leg member pivots about the retaining groove in conjunction with the seat back; thereby, the seat body is configured to be retracted in the retraction floor. In addition, the leg member is detached from the retaining groove; thereafter, the vehicle seat can change from a “seatable” state where an occupant can be seated to a “tip-up” state where the seat cushion is tipped up.
However, the seat that can retract the seat body in the retraction floor as in the '309 Document has a more complicated retraction structure in order to retract the seat body in a such a way that components such as the leg member for supporting the seat back so that the seat back can pivot, the retaining groove, and the like are attached not only to a surface of the vehicle body floor at which the seat body is arranged but also to a surface of the retraction floor. Therefore, a vehicle seat which can be retracted in a retraction floor utilizing a more simple structure is desirable. In addition, a vehicle seat which can secure a large retraction space is desirable.
Further, in the seat as described in the '309 Document, the leg member that supports the seat cushion is connected between the seat cushion and the retraction floor, therefore being an elongated member. Thus, in the event of change the seat body between the seatable state and the tip-up state, the leg member is detached from the retaining groove. However, an entire length of the leg member is long and therefore a pivotable range thereof in a front to back direction increases. As a result, an operation to fit the leg member into the retaining groove is difficult. Therefore, a vehicle seat which more easily changes from the seatable state is desirable.
Furthermore, in the seat as described in the '309 Document, for the purpose of protection from impacts or the like from outside, in general, a cover member of resin for covering from above the attachment shaft, the retaining groove, and the like that configure the retraction structure is attached. However, facilitation of a seat state changing operation by utilizing this cover member has not been considered. Therefore, a vehicle seat which more easily changes from a seatable state by utilizing a cover member for covering components of a retraction structure from above is desirable.